Blue Butterfly Watercolor Painting Art

"Blue Mountain Swallowtail Butterfly"

 

When I first saw this gorgeous butterfly, my jaw dropped! Not only is turquoise my favorite color, but the luminous quality of this blue and the brilliant contrast of its black edges just blew me away!

I love painting butterflies, especially the Monarch, but this one was a special challenge. The scales on the wings are reflective and seem to shine. I tried to convey that in this painting. Unlike the Monarch Butterfly painting, which feeds on bright yellow-orange flowers of the milkweed Asclepius, I wanted to make the background out of focus, just giving hints through color of the leaves and flowers this stunning creature lives among.

"Monarch Butterfly"

 

"Monarch Butterfly 2"

When I created this painting, I thought that it would be a wonderful addition to a child's nursery or for an accent to any room in your home! What is your favorite butterfly!

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Beach Adirondack Chairs...And the Winner is...

"Beach Adirondack Chairs"

 

Thanks to all of you who entered my Mother's Day Contest! You shared wonderful memories of your moms, based on my paintings that reminded you of her. ...And the Winner is Lou Anne P! Congratulations! The prize is a $52 gift certificate from my shop for a large matted 16x20 fine art print of her choice.

 

"We didn't sit on the beach but in the back yard almost every summer evening chatting, laughing, telling stories, playing. My mom and whomever had time to enjoy the moment would choose a spot from her eclectic, colorful supply of outdoor furniture. These precious evenings continued her whole life and I often ponder the memories today as I sit in my own colorful eclectic supply of furnishings on the patio."  Lou Anne

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Beach Boy with Red Shovel Painting

Beach Boy with Red Shovel

 

A perfect day for the beach, so grab your shovel and head to the surf! I just love seeing children on the beach and this little fellah is no exception.

 

When I created this watercolor painting, I wanted to capture the wonderful reflections and shadows in the watery sand, the foamy surf, and a beautiful sun-filled sky.

 

Do you remember when you were a child and strutted unafraid toward the ocean? Do you recollect the thrill of a beach adventure? Do you recall the unique feelings of joy you felt there? I do and still relive them every time I walk the beach!

 

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Ming Vase Orange Lily Painting in Progress

 

I absolutely love mixing my Ming Vase with things orange! Last year I created a composition of a blue and white vase with two orange segments. Although it took a very long time to get the oranges just right and give the illusion that they were on a mirror, I  was happy with the final result.

 

"Ming Vase with Oranges"

 

Now is my chance to create another painting with one of my favorite vases. I found a lovely lily that has fabulous color, structures, and texture. Placed on the mirror along with the vase, I sketched the composition.

 

Next, I painted the dark background of blues and purples to create depth. Then came the vase details.

 

 

Below, you can see the painting of the tops of the stamens (the anthers), the top of the central pistil (the sticky stigma), and a few of the petals. [I know, I just can't help myself. I taught biology for close to 40 years!]

 

 

There's still a lot more to be done here. This is just the start. So, what do you think? Does this painting look like it may create the illusion of the vase and flower reflected on a mirror?

 

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Pink Lily Watercolor Painting Art

"Alstroemeria Lily Flower" 

 

I absolutely love this flower! When I first saw the Alstroemeria, I thought that it was an artificial silk flower. This South American Peruvian Lily, or Lily of the Incas, seems to be available at most markets and lasts up to three weeks. What more could I want from such a stunning cut flower for brightening my kitchen.

After planning for a long time, I decided not to paint the entire bouquet, but focus on one beautiful blossom of the Alstroemeria Lily. Although I favor realism in my art, especially in creating flowers, I prefer to make the backgrounds impressionistic. If you look carefully, you can see hints of buds just starting to open.

I hope that you enjoy this Fine Art Print of my Original Watercolor Painting which will last even longer than the real thing! It will give you many years of pleasure!

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Beach Adirondack Chairs Painting, Watercolor Art Print

Beach Adirondack Chairs

Barbara Rosenzweig

Watercolor Painting

 

Where do you find the best place to relax? My spot is on the beach! Here, colorful chairs look out to the ocean to create a relaxing, peaceful seashore spot for you to dream.

 

To give you a bit of insight into my painting process for this one, here are a few of the stages this new watercolor went through. Early on, I decided to have four colorful Adirondack chairs looking out at the beach and ocean. I roughed in where I wanted the clouds and chairs.

 

 

Next, I started to add vegetation and darken the backs of the chairs and shadows under them. This is a much longer process than you see here. My purpose is to give depth and drama to the painting.

 

 

 

Creating dramatic clouds turned out to be the most difficult part of this painting. I didn't want them to look like a big white blob, but wanted them to be light and airy, letting a cobalt blue sky shine through. At this point, though, it still wasn't right. The blue was too deep in spots. I also added low and tall grasses in the foreground for depth and further darkened the backs of the Adirondack chairs. 

 

 

Finally, I lightened the blue in the clouds and blended more of the clouds to give a softer effect, as well as added a third tall grass on the right.

 

Beach Adirondack Chairs

Barbara Rosenzweig

Watercolor Painting

 

I'd love your opinion on my new watercolor painting!

 

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Family Beach Walk Painting Father Children Watercolor Art

"Family Beach Walk"

© 2013 Barbara Rosenzweig, Watercolor Painting

11x14 matted to 16x20 $52
8x10 matted to 11x14 $37
sold matted for standard size frames

 

I love getting commissions for portraits at the beach! This painting was created from cherished family photos. Since I totally enjoy painting beach scenes, this was a delight to do. Colorful clothes, shadows across the water and sand, reflections in the water, never-ending waves, along with a beautiful sky, perfectly captures this family's wonderful memory of a meaningful vacation!

 

Linked to Watercolors by Barbara Etsy Shop, Watercolors By Barbara Website, Fine Art America, Make it Pretty Monday, IShouldBeMoppingTheFloor, BoogieboardCottage, Alphabe-Thursday, Join the Party {Linky}  Fall into Fall, and Pink Saturday, Five Days Five Ways, Friday Favs, Fancy These Friday’s, Friday Link Party, Saturday Show & Tell, The DIY'ers, Anything Blue & Pink Friday